Defenseman Luke Hughes recorded a goal and an assist, and Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves to help the New Jersey Devils secure a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
Ondrej Palat, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer also scored for New Jersey, which extended its winning streak to three games and has now won six of its last seven.
Eric Robinson and Brent Burns scored for the Hurricanes, who dropped their third game in four outings. Despite managing 31 shots on goal—breaking New Jersey’s streak of holding opponents to 20 or fewer shots in seven consecutive games—Carolina couldn’t keep up with the Devils’ offense.
Game Highlights
Robinson scored at 10:03 of the first period, sneaking the puck past Markstrom, who was coming off back-to-back shutouts.
Palat evened the score at 16:14, followed by Hischier’s team-leading 18th goal just 42 seconds later, giving New Jersey a 2-1 lead.
Burns tied the game for Carolina 22 seconds into the second period, but Hughes restored the Devils’ advantage at 4:15, with Mercer adding an insurance goal at 8:47.
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves in the loss.
Takeaways
Devils: New Jersey continues to roll, improving to 17-6-1 since Nov. 1. Markstrom’s strong play in goal has been a key factor, and the team’s defensive structure has been outstanding.
Hurricanes: Carolina has allowed four goals in back-to-back games after limiting opponents to three or fewer in six straight contests.
Key Moment
Hischier’s go-ahead goal less than a minute after Palat tied the game late in the first period swung momentum in New Jersey’s favor.
Key Stat
Jacob Markstrom improved to 19-6-2 in his debut season with the Devils, continuing his stellar form in net.
Up Next
The teams will complete their home-and-home series on Saturday in Carolina.
